Progressive News, Spring 2007

PROGRESSIVENewsSpring 2007Inside This IssuePizzerias serve up the pieswithout the carbon . . . . . 2Lung Assoc. reports mixed air quality results . . . . . . . 2Plastics firm pays hefty hazardous waste fine . . . . 2EPA pulls permits forMichigan hazardous wastewells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Court sentences former refinery officials . . . . . . . . 3Construction begins onIllinois biodiesel refinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Rolls Royce settles clean-aircomplaint with EPA . . . . . 3Climate scientists predictfuture floods, drought . . . 4Gore takes global warmingmessage to Congress . . . . 4EPA fines printing plant operator for clean air violations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5HighlightsPEOPLE ARE SMART Some of this little editorial has been taken froman article in the Wall Street Journal. It bearsrepeating because it is so true. People are smart.This isn’t an opinion, it’s not a consensus, it’s justa fact. People, like you and your customers (youbeing our customers) are smart. We know moretoday than yesterday; we gave up our rolodex’sfor computers. Telegrams are part of history,ticker tapes for stock quotes are still seen in 1920movies, but rarely sit on anyone’s desk, biteswere taken when we were hungry and gigs usedto be jobs. People are smart. You are smart.We live in a world that is truly spinning fast.Technology has forced us to progress. While westill see some cavemen on some ads on TV forinsurance; it’s our minds that kept us frombecoming dinner for some prehistoric carnivores.It’s our intellect that enabled us to place a roboton a planet a couple of hundred million milesaway. And it’s our ability to apply knowledgethat tells us it’s not a good idea to stick a fork ina light socket. Or to fry bacon in our undies, we’renot that dumb. Parking lots have automatic pay-ment collectors and full serve gas stations are donot exist. Check your oil? Please Points andplugs, leaded gas and tune ups are a thing of thepast.Because when you think about it, proof of oursmart is everywhere. We prove theorems. Webuild skyscrapers. We buy low and sell high. Wecure diseases. We split atoms. And if we are real-ly smart, we split aces and eights. We complainabout the gas prices but we will come up withsome viable alternative fuels and/or vehicles.There is global warming but we have the abilityto adapt, react and change in order to survive;almost Darwinian if you will.It’s true – people are smart. And it’s the cus-tomers’ smart that we respect and strive to live up to because people know what they want outof life. They know what’s best for them and theirfamily as well as their company. And they knowif you and I offer competitive services and smartfinancial solutions, that together we can makethe most of our smart. That is, if we’re smartabout it.I just wanted you to think about this today…..This is our Spring/Summer newsletter that Ialways seem to be getting out later and later.Our quarterly newsletter is starting to be sent out3 times per year. I’ll try to be more on top ofthings.Our Precious Metal Division, Precious MetalRefining Services has added Derrick Briody to ourstaff. Derrick brings years of commodity tradingto our company. He really knows the preciousmetal markets and has been helping dental labsincrease their values of their precious metal scrapwith a 95% return and no other fees incurred.John Heraty has joined the ranks of ProgressiveEnvironmental Services. He comes to us withyears of experience in the hazardous waste indus-try. He is innovative and resourceful and is verygood at making compliance a cost effective wayto go. I hope you get a chance to meet him.Youth and enthusiasm are a great combination.That’s about it for now. Enjoy the warm weatherand think of us whenever the need arises foreither environmental compliance or for some pre-cious metal refining. And of course, atProgressive Environmental Services, our namesays it all; and at Precious Metal RefiningServices, your business is precious to us; but youknew that, you’re smart Sincerely,Sheldon B. Goldner, President and EditorL E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R Pizzerias serve up the pies without the carbonMay 3 -- More than the peppers are green at oneFlorida pizza company.Pizza Fusion, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, is buyingrenewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent ofthe electricity used at its corporate headquarters andrestaurants."We´re extremely passionate about minimizing oureco-footprint with environmentally friendly efforts inall of our operations," said Vaughan Lazar, co-founderof the company. "Our environmental approach continues to evolve as we discover new ways toreduce our impact on the environment."Lung Association reports mixed air quality resultsMay 1 -- America´s air contains less ozone pollutionthan it did only a few years ago, but particle pollutionhas increased in many areas, according to a reportreleased May 1 by the American Lung Association.For the first time since the Lung Association begancompiling its annual report, data revealed a split alongeither side of the Mississippi River, as particle pollutionincreased in the East but decreased in the West.Particle pollution, or soot, is linked in large part to pollution from coal-fired power plants."The increased particle pollution in the East is a particularly troubling trend because exposure to particle pollution can not only take years off your life,it can threaten your life immediately," said Terri E.Weaver, a nurse and American Lung Association chairwoman.In the West, soot levels have dropped even in areasthat rank historically high, according to the report,which is titled "American Lung Association State ofthe Air: 2007." California showed the most improve-ment, with 32 counties dropping their year-round particle pollution levels.Ozone, or smog, decreased nationwide from peaksreported in 2002. The number of counties scoring an A grade for ozone levels increased from 82 in 2000 to145 this year, according to the Lung Association.Ozone pollution dropped in part because of a late1990s requirement to reduce emissions of pollutantsthat contribute to smog. Further reductions in nitro-gen oxide emissions from coal-fired power plants thatwere in place by 2004 also kept smog levels down.In the West, particularly California, aggressive measures to reduce air pollution from cars, trucks, andother mobile sources helped contribute to fewer dayswith high concentrations of ozone, according to theLung Association."The good news is that there´s less ozone everywhere," Weaver said. "Yet, we remain concernedbecause the science shows that millions are still at risk from ozone that exceeds acceptable levels." Plastics firm pays hefty hazardous waste fineApril 27 -- Plastics manufacturer Shintech LouisianaLLC has agreed to pay a $426,530 fine to settle haz-ardous waste violations at two of its Addis, La., plants.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspections in2004 and 2005 found improper handling of hazardouswaste at both sites. Specifically, the company failed toidentify hazardous waste, keep proper records of it andget the required approval to manage and store haz-ardous waste, according to the EPA.The company also violated the Clean Air and theEmergency Planning and Community Right-to-KnowActs, the EPA said. Shintech has corrected the viola-tions, said Richard E. Greene, administrator for EPA´sRegion 6 Office.Spring 2007 • 2PROGRESSIVENewsEPA pulls permits for Michiganhazardous waste wellsApril 13 -- The federal government intends to terminate permits allowing the injection of hazardouswaste into two underground disposal wells inRomulus, Mich.The facility, now closed, had been accepting a varietyof liquid hazardous wastes. They were injected into alayer of rock nearly 1 mile deep, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency said.The agency alleged the proposed decision "is based onnumerous violations, including failing to notify theagency of an ownership transfer."Environmental Disposal Systems of Birmingham, Mich.,currently owns the site, the EPA said.The Michigan Department of Environmental Qualityfound a leak in the surface piping of one of the wellsin October 2006 and shut the facility down, the EPAsaid.Court sentences former refinery officialsApril 11 -- A federal court fined Sinclair Tulsa RefiningCo. $5 million and sentenced two of its managers thismonth for environmental crimes related to the company´s Tulsa, Okla., refinery.The Sinclair Oil Corp. subsidiary pleaded guilty Dec.13 to two felony counts of deliberately manipulatingwastewater discharges at the refinery. Along with thecriminal penalty, it will make a $500,000 communityservice payment. Former managers Harmon Connelland John Kapura received six-month home-detentionsentences. Connell must pay a $160,000 fine andserve 100 hours of community service. Kapurareceived an $80,000 fine and 50 hours of communityservice.Judge Claire V. Eagan of the U.S. District Court for theNorthern District of Oklahoma imposed the sentencesApril 4. Kapura and Connell admitted to knowinglymanipulating refinery processes, wastewater flows andwastewater discharges to influence test results underthe National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systempermit program.On several occasions in 2002 and 2003, Sinclairdirected employees to manipulate bio-testing resultsby reducing wastewater discharges and diverting moreheavily contaminated wastewater to holdingimpoundments, as well as taking other measures toensure the refinery passed the tests, according to theU.S. Department of Justice.Construction begins on Illinois biodiesel refineryApril 16 -- NovaBiosource Fuels Inc.officially broke ground April 16 at its $68 millionbiodiesel refinery in Seneca, Ill.It anticipates producing 60 million gallons of biodieselfuel annually at the plant using low-cost feedstock,such as rendered animal fat, oils and recycled veg-etable and animal-based grease. Production is slatedto begin during the third quarter of this year."The contractors who will build it, the employees whowill run it, and the farmers who will supply it are allwinners today, and so are the residents whose air willbe cleaner as a result of the fuel this facility produces," said Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill.Rolls Royce settlesclean-air complaintwith EPAApril 6 -- Rolls Royce Corp.will pay a $18,329 penaltythrough an agreement that resolves alleged clean-airviolations at the company´s helicopter engine manufacturing plant in Indianapolis, Ind.PROGRESSIVENews Spring 2007 • 3Spring 2007 • 4The agreement between the company and the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency resolves allegationsthat Rolls Royce violated federal regulations by "failingto follow proper repair and recordkeeping proceduresfor three pieces of industrial process refrigerant equip-ment."The equipment contained chlorofluorocarbon, or CFC,the agency said. The company discovered the allegedviolations itself and reported them to the EPA. Thecompany also replaced all three appliances in a timelymanner, the agency said.Climate scientists predict future floods,droughtApril 6 -- International climate change experts arehighly confident that climate change will result inmelting glaciers, enlarging glacier lakes, the warmingof rivers and lakes in many regions of the world, andearlier arrival of spring, according to a report releasedApril 6.The specific impacts will vary by geographic region,but catastrophes including floods and droughts areexpected to outweigh any benefits from warming,according to the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange report. It is the second in a series of reportsbeing released by the United Nations´ organizedpanel. The new report focused on climate changeimpacts, adaptation and vulnerability.In general, poor communities will be especially vul-nerable because they lack the resources to adapt tochanges, like the ability to construct sea walls or lev-ees to hold off flooding."Many millions more people are projected to beflooded every year due to sea-level rise by the 2080s,"according to the report. "The numbers affected will belargest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa, whilesmall islands are especially vulnerable."Areas already prone to hot temperatures and droughtare likely to see conditions worsen, while some areaslike northern North America could see temporary ben-efits from longer growing seasons. However, even inthose areas, crop productivity would decrease after a3°C temperature rise, according to the report.The report also discusses risks to fresh water suppliesand the possibility of insect-transmitted diseasesspreading.The report was released in Brussels following last-minute wrangling among the participating nations asto the exact wording of the document.The full report is available online atwww.ipcc.ch/SPM6avr07.pdf.Gore takes globalwarming message to CongressMarch 22 -- Former VicePresident Al Gore, whorecently has been traveling the country calling for fed-eral action to address global climate change, broughthis message to Capitol Hill on March 21.Gore, a Democrat who served as a member of theHouse and Senate earlier in his career, testified beforecommittees in both houses.Testifying before the Senate environment committee,Gore called global warming a planetary emergencythat threatens the survival of civilization."First of all, there is no longer any serious debate overthe basic points that make up the consensus on globalwarming," Gore said in prepared remarks to the com-mittee. "The 10 warmest years on record have all beensince 1990."He testified that rising temperatures have beenaccompanied by stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels,longer and more intense droughts, and recedingmountain glaciers."New evidence shows that it may be even worse thanPROGRESSIVENewsSpring 2007 • 5we thought," Gore said, referring to a recent study bythe University of Alaska-Fairbanks that indicatesmethane is leaking from the Siberian permafrost atfive times the predicted levels. Methane is a green-house gas 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide, Goresaid."I do not believe that the climate crisis should be apartisan political issue," Gore testified.Yet response to his testimony from members ofCongress often was divided along party lines.Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the Senateenvironment committee, called global warming one ofthe most important challenges facing humankind. Shealso credited Gore with providing leadership on theissue.However, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla, the committee´sranking member, said he considered Gore to be a glob-al warming alarmist whose pronouncements are filledwith inaccuracies and misleading statements.Inhofe criticized Gore´s linking global warming toincreased hurricane intensity and duration, saying theWorld Meteorological Organization has rejected theassertion.Inhofe also said that contrary to Gore´s belief thatEast Antarctica might melt and raise sea levels by 20feet, some scientists believe Antarctica is gaining icemass.Inhofe also raised concerns about the cost of address-ing greenhouse gas emissions, saying some individualsand big businesses "stand to make tens of billions ofdollars."Gore disagreed with arguments that addressing globalwarming would be costly. "If we solve it the right way,we will save money and boost productivity," he said inhis prepared statement. "Moreover, the consequencesof inaction would be devastating to both the environ-ment and the economy."EPA fines printingplant operator for clean air violationsMarch 15 -- Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. will paypenalties totaling $325,000 for alleged clear air viola-tions at a printing plant formerly owned by the com-pany in Schaumburg, Ill., the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency said.The move resolves a complaint filed in Novemberalleging Smurfit-Stone failed to control smog-produc-ing volatile organic compound emissions from theplant, the EPA said.The EPA and the state of Illinois will split the money.The company has installed a thermal oxidizer todestroy the VOC emissions and demonstrated compliance, the EPA said.Check Out Our New Website…www.progressive-environmental.comPROGRESSIVENews